SPOTLIGHT: Dawnthief by James Barclay out in the US!

A book I read almost ten years ago, a writer about whom I heard/saw great things on the intarwebs almost ten years ago reaches US bookshelves this week - James Barclay. The book is Dawnthief, the first of Barclay's Chronicles of the Raven. James was kind enough to send me the first three books after seeing me prattle on in the SFFWorld forums about how frustrating it was for such well received books not be be available in the US. He subsequently sent me additional Raven books and even name-checked me in one.

The review below the book cover is one of my earliest reviews posted at SFFWorld (back in 2001), but the folks at Pyr were kind enough to borrow parts of it for a blurb on the back cover.

Also, my interview (from 2005) with reclusive and best-selling writer John Twelve Hawks (The Traveler) is quoted and linked in Tuesday's (8/25/2009) LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/08/john-twelve-hawks-will-not-exactly-appear.html.




Dawnthief begins with gripping action: the abduction of a mage and a siege of a castle. This sets the tone for the rest of the book, and indeed the series. The cast of characters is believable, the magic is handled with thought and you can barely turn the pages fast enough to keep up with the story.

The story tells the tale of the Raven, a mercenary group known for the perfection and 100% success rate on all of their jobs. They are so successful because they ultimately believe and trust in each other, the ultimate team. The Raven have been taking jobs for years and are on the brink of retirement, just finishing what was to be their last job. They have made loads of money and are looking forward to settling down and living a relaxed life before the harsh life of the mercenary catches up with them.

It turns out the close of this “last job” (which opens the book) sends them on their toughest, most important job ever—that of saving the world. The Raven never much thought of anything other than their money as an end to the job. Upon finishing this last job they run into a thief mage by the name of Denser, who steals an amulet from a Dragon, which sets the spiraling of this story. This amulet is a key component of the spell Dawnthief a super-spell which is the world of Balaia’s only salvation from the returning Wytch Lords, demi-god mages who have been imprisoned for years.

Barclay expertly draws his characters in this opening novel. As the story unfolds we learn about these characters, like the mage Illkar, the strong willed barbarian warrior Hirad and the strong mysterious Unknown Warrior. What marks these characters the most is that they are Raven, which they constantly tell themselves in order to get through each difficulty.

I like the way the magic was handled, broken up into four colleges. These colleges are centers of the land of Balaia and help to give life to the world Barclay has created.

Overall, this is not only an excellent opening series book, but an excellent book, period. What is most surprising is that it’s Barclay’s first book. Unfortunately, these books aren’t available in the United States yet. So if you want to read the book, contact publishers like TOR and DelRey and BantamSpectra!

By the time you finish reading the book, you’ll be following the words RAVEN WITH ME! In anticipation of the next volume.

House of Suns review; District 9 thoughts

For just about a decade, Alastair Reynolds has been publishing some of the best Science Fiction in the genre. His stories are galactic in scope, but still manage to key down to the human level. His latest, House of Suns is no different. The story spans millions of years and is to put succinctly, awesome. My review went up last night and here’s the requisite snippet:

The ancestors of humanity, specifically the clones or ‘shatterlings’ (of both sex) of Abigal Gentian, known throughout the universe as both the Gential Line and the House of Flowers are set to meet in one of their 200,000-year reunions when the reunion is sent asunder by a hostile attack. Luckily, two of the clones (Campion and Purslane) who have fallen in love were delayed and are among the very slim number of shatterlings of the Gential line not destroyed. In their delay, they contact a somewhat disreputable broker named Ateshga, who they hope can sell them a ship upgrade in order to arrive at the reunion party with plenty of time to spare in the 1,000 day celebration. This of course does not go according to plan since Atheshga tries to sabatoge Campion and Purslane. However, the two shatterlings turn the tables and get their ship upgraded and secure the freedom of Hesperus, a robot and member of the ‘Machine People.’
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The sheer scale of intelligent civilization in this universe is mind-boggling. Perhaps most fascinating are the Machine People and the Machines who preceded them thousands of years before the events in even Abigail Gentian’s time. On the other hand, that sense of time, that tens of thousands of years can pass so effortlessly in these characters lives really adds to the sense of wonder for which Reynolds is so well known. These themes are handled with an expert’s care in Reynolds’s assured storytelling ability.

Mrs. o’ Stuff and I caught District 9 on Friday and we both thought it was easily the best film we’d seen this summer. I might go into more detail in a post later this week, but suffice it to say, this film does everything Good Science Fiction should do – it was at turns frightening, plausible, and awe-inspiring. Very few movies exceed my expectations as much as this one did, and I went it expecting it to be good – it was GREAT.

SF/F/H Reviewer Linkup Meme, 2nd Edition

John Ottinger posted up the massive SF/F/H Reviewer Linkup Meme, 2nd Edition over the weekend, so make sure you go over there and take a look.

Books in the Mail (W/E 08/22/2009)

Three books this week, two publisher, one of which I just read....


By Blood We Live edited by John Joseph Adams (NightShade Books Hardcover 08/17/2009) – This is the final book of the ARC I received back in June and it is another ‘definitive’ anthology from JJA. Adams is developing into a smart anthologist, publishing definitive anthologies like The Living Dead and Wastelands. Here, he turns his eye towards Vampires

From Dracula to Buffy the Vampire Slayer; from Castlevania to Tru Blood, the romance between popular culture and vampires hearkens back to humanity's darkest, deepest fears, flowing through our very blood, fears of death, and life, and insatiable hunger. And yet, there is an attraction, undeniable, to the vampire archetype, whether the pale European count, impeccably dressed and coldly masculine, yet strangely ambiguous, ready to sink his sharp teeth deep into his victims' necks, draining or converting them, or the vamp, the count's feminine counterpart, villain and victim in one, using her wiles and icy sexuality to corrupt man and woman alike... Edited by John Joseph Adams (Wastelands, The Living Dead), By Blood We Live gathers together the best vampire literature of the last three decades from many of today's most renowned authors of fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror, including Stephen King, Joe Hill, Garth Nix, Kelley Armstrong, Ken Macleod, Harry Turtledove, Carrie Vaughn, and Tad Williams.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Nightshade Books Hardcover 09/152009) – I read some of Bacigalup’s stories and liked them a lot, this is his debut novel and is an extension/set in the same world as The Calorie Man. This cover is absolutely stunning

Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko...

Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant across the globe.

What Happens when calories become currency? What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits, when said bio-terrorism's genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of "The Calorie Man" ( Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and "Yellow Card Man" (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) in order to address these poignant questions.



In Great Waters by Kit Whitfield (Del Rey Paperback 10/27/2009) – Owen read/reviewed Kit’s first novel Bareback (aka Benighted in the US) and interviewed her back in 2007 and reviewed In Great Waters a few months ago. This book deals with mer-people:

During a time of great upheaval, the citizens of Venice make a pact that will change the world. The landsmen of the city broker a treaty with a water-dwelling tribe of deepsmen, cementing the alliance through marriage. The mingling of the two races produces a fresh, peerless strain of royal blood. To protect their shores, other nations make their own partnerships with this new breed–and then, jealous of their power, ban any further unions between the two peoples. Dalliance with a deepswoman becomes punishable by death. Any “bastard” child must be destroyed.

This is an Earth where the legends of the deep are true–where the people of the ocean are as real and as dangerous as the people of the land. This is the world of intrigue and betrayal that Kit Whitfield brings to life in an unforgettable alternate history: the tale of Anne, the youngest princess of a faltering England, struggling to survive in a troubled court, and Henry, a bastard abandoned on the shore to face his bewildering destiny, finding himself a pawn in a game he does not understand.

Yet even a pawn may checkmate a king.

Age of Misrule and The Magicians

Always Forever brings Mark Chadbourn’s Age of Misrule trilogy to a close, and this three week review-a-thon as well. Most novels that close out series are stuck with holding the full judgment of the series on its proverbial shoulders and in this case, it did a good job on its own and in closing the series. With the review posted last night, you all know the blurb follows:

How does the series as a whole rank in today’s current crop of fantasy literature? Very well, I think. Chadbourn’s writing is both evocative and clear, the imagery he conjures is resonant, while still being original. At times, the plot throughout the trilogy does have the video-game feel of it in that the characters must find an object to keep going. Early on, and Chadbourn seems to have grown out of this habit by trilogy’s end, chapters or mini-chapters broke with characters blacking out. In that sense, it was very nice to see Chadbourn’s writing and storytelling skills grow and mature as the story progressed.

Flavors of Horror, Dark Fantasy, Mythic Literature, and Epic Fantasy blend very well and that might be the strength of the trilogy. Chadbourn doesn’t sacrifice one for the other and balances the subtleties of each subgenre very well throughout the three books.

Last night I finished up a great fantasy novel that is being marketing to mainstream audiences: The Magicians by Lev Grossman. The book was terrific and has some impressive blurbs by George R.R. Martin and Kelly Link. Additionally, Viking is really doing a viral marketing program with a handful of Web sites:

• Official Web site for the book: http://themagiciansbook.com/
• Christopher Plover, author of the Books of Fillory, a series of fantasy novels within the book: http://www.christopherplover.com/
• “Fan” site for the world of Fillory: http://www.emberstomb.com/
• Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, where the protagonists learns of and is educated in the world of magic: http://www.brakebills.com/index.html

All that superfluous material and detail aside, the book was an engrossing read which became increasingly addictive as the plot moved along. I’ll have a full review at SFFWorld in the next couple of weeks, but this will probably be a top 10 read for me for this year.

Books in the Mail (W/E 08/15/2009)

This week’s Sunday run down is brought to you by Ace/Roc, Black Library, DAW, and Pyr…In this weeks large batch of arrivals, there are a few I definitely won't read and a few that look really intriguing. Can you guess which is which? Post your guess in the comments.

Dark Road Rising (Vampire Files #12) by P. N. Elrod (Ace Paperback 09/04/2009) – Elrod is one of those authors whose books I always see on the shelves but never read. This series has grown to 12 books since 1990 and she’s got another half-to-full dozen stories and books under her belt.

Vampire P.I. Jack Fleming is playing babysitter to Gabriel “Whitey” Kroun, a dangerously unstable mobster—and newly-created vampire—with deadly secrets to hide.

As Jack tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Kroun’s undead state, he gets caught between his charge’s violent outbursts and some syndicate torpedoes looking to rub them both out, leaving him vulnerable to an even deadlier threat— the return of an old enemy desperate to unlock the secrets of Jack’s vampire immortality.

Salamander (Book One of the Tome of Fire Trilogy) by Nick Kyme (The Black Library Mass Market Paperback September 2009) – I’ve been interested in the Warhammer universe for a while now, the books they published look pretty good, from a cover perspective, a lot folks seem to like them and think they are a notch above most media tie-in/shared world books. Here’s a sample extract

Salamanders are warriors of the earth. Forge-smiths, metal-shapers, superhuman protectors of humanity, these noble heroes are one of the Space Marine Chapters, the venerable First Founding.

Born from fire, so too do the Salamanders live amongst fire, hailing from the volcanic death world of Nocturne. Here, they act as guardians for its peoples; they are their leaders and inspiration. Their creed is the Cult of Prometheus, an ancient tradition dating back to Nocturne’s original colonisation, that values self-sacrifice and inner-strength.

In Salamander, the warriors of Third Company are grieving. Their former captain has been slain by Chaos traitors and a schism has come about that threatens the very future of the company. Led by an ancient prophecy, hunting for revenge, the Salamanders Chapter are drawn to the ash deserts of Scoria, a world that has many secrets.

Ostensibly an outpost of the Iron Warriors Traitor Legion, all is not what it seems as a far more dangerous enemy lies in wait and comes from beyond the stars…

Intelligent Design edited by Denise Little (DAW Mass Market 09/04/2009) – September’s themed-anthology from DAW explores “one of the most controversial topics – evolution vs. creationism.”

These ten original stories explore one of the most heatedly debated topics today. From a tale that examines whether life on Earth is an out-of-control science project, to one which reveals which species will inherit the planet, to a portrait of a scientist determined to discover the truth about God, the stories in this anthology tackle the big questions in ways that range from startling to satirical—and are always entertaining..

The Storm Witchby Violette Malan (DAW Paperback 09/04/2009) – This is the third book in a series about a couple of rogues…

With a charge of outlawry still hanging over their heads, Dhulyn and Parno are in Lesonika. Before they can do anything to clear their names, they must go to the rescue of friends being held hostage by the crew of a Long Ocean Nomad ship. The Nomads want the Mercenary Brothers to cross the Long Ocean with them, and help them in their conflict with the Mortaxa, who are threatening the Nomads' lives and livelihoods with the power of a Storm Witch. Dhulyn, however, has a very good reason for refusing to go, even if it means letting their friends die. Her Sight has told her that Parno will die in a storm at sea -- something he long ago made her swear she would never tell him. Does she break that vow now? Dhulyn suspects that even if she does, Parno will refuse to save his life at the cost of their friend's lives. They've circumvented her Visions is the past, can Dhulyn somehow manage that now, and without Parno's help?


The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia A. McKillip (Ace Mass Market Paperback 08/04/2009) – The only thing I’ve read by McKillip is the wonderful Riddlemaster trilogy, so maybe I can rectify that with this book.

Sealey Head is a small town on the edge of the ocean, a sleepy place where everyone hears the ringing of a bell no one can see. On the outskirts of town is an impressive estate, Aislinn House, where the aged Lady Eglantyne lies dying, and where the doors sometimes open not to its own dusty rooms, but to the wild majesty of a castle full of knights and princesses.... ...

Rosemary and Rue (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire (DAW Mass Market 09/04/2009) – Urban Fantasy/Mystery hybrid which “should appeal to fans of Jim Butcher.” This is the author’s first novel and aside from a somewhat alliterative title, the book sounds interesting enough:

October "Toby" Daye, a changeling who is half human and half fae, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the Faerie world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world has other ideas...

The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening's killer.

Empire (Book Two of The Sigmar Trilogy /Time of Legends) by Graham McNeill (The Black Library Mass Market Paperback September 2009) – As I said at the end of June when I received the first book in this series, I haven’t read any Warhammer books. That being said, now that I have two books in a trilogy by one of Black Library’s top authors, I really may have to rectify that situation.

Time of Legends is Black Library's premiere fantasy series, which brings the history and legends of the Warhammer world alive. Empire follows up Heldenhammer, by Graham McNeill, with the story of the creation of the Empire in the Old World.

Having driven back the orc invaders, Sigmar unites the tribes of men and founds the Empire. The fledgling empire grows, but its prosperity is not assured. The lands are still wild and untamed, and many enemies lurk in the forests and the mountains. When a Chaos invasion sweeps down from Norsca, the ensuing conflict tests the abilities of Sigmar and his chieftains to the utmost.

Heroes at Risk (The Hero Series #4) by Moira J. Moore (Ace Mass Market Paperback 09/04/2009) – Fourth in a romantic fantasy series? A series of books exploring the adventures and relationships of bonded Pairs (magic-endowed individuals termed "Source" and "Shield") who work together to make the land habitable and keep the citizenry safe.

Shield Lee Mallorough and her Source Shintaro Karish have returned to High Scape. It's bad enough the townspeople are robbing tombs for ashes to use in ritualistic magic. It gets worse when they start to murder the living for their remains.


Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Pyr Trade Paperback November 2009) – Rusch is a very prolific writer who bounces between genres, with a lot of SF on her shelves. This is a stand alone novel that sounds pretty interesting and reminds me a bit, from the description only, of Jack McDevitt.

Boss loves to dive historical ships, derelict spacecraft found adrift in the blackness between the stars. Sometimes she salvages for money, but mostly she's an active historian. She wants to know about the past—to experience it firsthand. Once she's dived the ship, she'll either leave it for others to find or file a claim so that she can bring tourists to dive it as well. It's a good life for a tough loner, with more interest in artifacts than people.

Then one day, Boss finds the claim of a lifetime: an enormous spacecraft, incredibly old, and apparently Earth-made. It's impossible for something so old, built in the days before Faster Than Light travel, to have journeyed this far from Earth. It shouldn't be here. It can't be here. And yet, it is. Boss's curiosity is up, and she's determined to investigate. She hires a group of divers to explore the wreck with her, the best team she can assemble. But some secrets are best kept hidden, and the past won't give up its treasures without exacting a price in blood.

What Boss finds could rewrite history, cost lives, and start an intergalactic war.


The Sword of the Lady (The Sunrise Lands (Emberverse II) #2) by S. M. Stirling (Roc Hardcover 09/04/2009) – The post-apocalyptic (or post-‘Change’) setting of this novel seems right up my alley in a lot of ways. I’ve never read any Stirling and this is the sixth book in the series which is something of a barrier for me. I’ve seen good things about Stirling, so this book may be a “I’ll catch up with it eventually”

Rudi Mackenzie has journeyed far across the land that was once the United States of America, hoping to find the source of the world-altering event that has come to be known as The Change. His final destination is Nantucket, an island overrun with forest, inhabited by a mere two hundred people who claim to have been transported there from out of time.

Only one odd stone house remains standing. Within it, Rudi finds a beautifully made sword waiting for him—and once he takes it up, nothing will ever be the same...


Flight of the Renshai (Renshai #7) by Mickey Zucker Reichert (DAW Hardcover 09/04/2009) – I read one of Reichert’s Renshai books years ago and thought it OK, and this is the first of a new trilogy set in that world. Thus far, two trilogies of the Renshai have been published. Some folks at SFFWorld have been eagerly awaiting this book.

Return to a world of 'magical battles galore' (VOYA) with Mickey Zucker Reichert's newest Renshai novel.

Prejudice against the Renshai is growing rapidly, fueled by their old enemies in the Northlands, who have convinced a faction in Erythane that the Renshai lands were stolen from them, forcing the King to banish the Renshai from the Westlands.

Shunned by Westerners and hunted by Northmen, the Renshai will face many trials before rallying together against a common enemy determined to destroy them once and for all.


Retribution (Anna Strong, Vampire #5) by Jeanne C. Stein (Ace Mass Market Paperback 09/04/2009) – Fifth in an urban fantasy* about vampire bounty hunter…rather about a bounty hunter who is attacked (way back in the first book) and is transformed into a vampire.

*current marketing definition

With her partner out of town, her family abroad, and her mentor estranged, newly-turned vampire Anna Strong is keeping a low profile.

But now young vampires are turning up dead, completely drained of their life force. And though Anna wants to say no when Williams, her former teacher and now leader of a supernatural enforcement squad, asks for her help, she can't. But soon, she'll wish she did.

Darkest Hour & Dead Beat

Continuing with my weekly reviews of Mark Chadbourn’s Age of Misrule trilogy is my review of Darkest Hour, which continues the story of the returning gods and creatures of Celtic Myth:

With the characters and impetus of the series established in World’s End, Chadbourn can focus on the details here. However, he doesn’t do that at the expense of moving things forward and just settling things into a typical middle book. We get to know the characters better and see them interact. The world change isn’t as much of a surprise at this point in the storyline and the characters bloom into distinct individuals. Furthermore, they each come into their own as modern avatars of their mystical ancestors – Vietch as the dangerous warrior, Church the reluctant leader, Shavi the mystic, Ruth the Triple Goddess, and Laura…Laura’s role is somewhat ambiguous through most of this novel.
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Although Chadbourn does delve deeper into the characters in this novel, he doesn’t do so at the expense of the mythic travelogue he’s been undertaking in this series. Each landmark along these character’s journeys is steeped in real world history and Chadbourn mines much of that for great mythic effect in the novel and trilogy’s storyline as a whole.

I also just finished up Dead Beat, the seventh novel in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. I really, really enjoy these novels and this might be the best one I’ve read yet. Butcher threw in zombies, polka, Oktoberfest, the Wild Hunt, fallen angels, the Erlking, as well as the usual vampires and wizards. The ending was probably one of the most adrenaline inducing of any of the books in the series and I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion over the course of the novel. The character of Waldo Butters, I can guess, is probably named partially after Leopold “Butters” Stoch from South Park. With each book, Jim Butcher climbs up my ladder of favorite writers and The Dresden Files climbs up my favorite series list.

Books in the Mail (W/E 08/08/2009)

This week’s Sunday run down is brought to you by Ace, Tor…

Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega Book Two) by Patricia Briggs (Ace Mass Market Paperback 08/25/2009) – This series is an offshoot of Brigg’s best selling and popular Mercedes Thompson series. Like those books, these books deal with shape changers, though I think these are more specifically werewolves.

Mated to werewolf Charles Cornick, the son—and enforcer—of the leader of the North American werewolves, Anna Latham now knows how dangerous being a werewolf is, especially when a werewolf who opposes Charles and his father is struck down. Charles's reputation makes him the prime suspect, and the penalty for the crime is execution. Now Anna and Charles must combine their talents to hunt down the real killer—or Charles will take the fall.


Ariel by Steven R. Boyett (Ace Mass Market Paperback 08/25/2009) – The premise here sounds interesting – post-apocalyptic fantasy punk. The book was initially published more than 20 years ago in 1983 and this “definitive” edition of the book is being released a few months before Boyett’s follow-up/sequel Elegy Beach Boyett has some sample chapters on his Web site for perusal.

At four-thirty one Saturday afternoon the laws of physics as we know them underwent a change. Electronic devices, cars, industries stopped. The lights went out. Any technology more complicated than a lever or pulley simply wouldn't work. A new set of rules took its place—laws that could only be called magic. Ninety-nine percent of humanity has simply vanished. Cities lie abandoned. Supernatural creatures wander the silenced achievements of a halted civilization.

Pete Garey has survived the Change and its ensuing chaos. He wanders the southeastern United States, scavenging, lying low. Learning. One day he makes an unexpected friend: a smartassed unicorn with serious attitude. Pete names her Ariel and teaches her how to talk, how to read, and how to survive in a world in which a unicorn horn has become a highly prized commodity.

When they learn that there is a price quite literally on Ariel's head, the two unlikely companions set out from Atlanta to Manhattan to confront the sorcerer who wants her horn. And so begins a haunting, epic, and surprisingly funny journey through the remnants of a halted civilization in a desolated world.

Prospero Lost (Book One of Children of Prospero) by L. Jagi Lamplighter (Tor Hardcover 08/04/2009) – This novel, the opening of a trilogy, sounds pretty interesting. Picking the threads of a great piece of literature can be fun and I think this is Lamplighter’s first novel, though not her first published work of fiction

More than four hundred years after the events of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the sorcerer Prospero, his daughter Miranda, and his other children have attained everlasting life. Miranda is the head of her family’s business, Prospero Inc., which secretly has used its magic for good around the world. One day, Miranda receives a warning from her father: "Beware of the Three Shadowed Ones." When Miranda goes to her father for an explanation, he is nowhere to be found.

Miranda sets out to find her father and reunite with her estranged siblings, each of which holds a staff of power and secrets about Miranda’s sometimes-foggy past. Her journey through the past, present and future will take her to Venice, Chicago, the Caribbean, Washington, D.C., and the North Pole. To aid her, Miranda brings along Mab, an aerie being who acts like a hard-boiled detective, and Mephistopheles, her mentally-unbalanced brother. Together, they must ward off the Shadowed Ones and other ancient demons who want Prospero’s power for their own….

The Stars Blue Yonder by Sandra McDonald (Tor Hardcover July 2009) – I reviewed the first novel in this sequence, The Outback Stars a couple of years back and thought it pretty good, but haven’t kept up with the series.

Chief Terry Myell died and became a god. Now he’s back to life, careening around space and time at the behest of a voice that told him to save all of mankind. Helping and hindering this quest are his elderly wife, his young wife, grandchildren who haven’t been born yet, romantic rivals he hasn’t even met, a descendant from two thousand years in the future, and an alien nemesis who calls itself the Flying Doctor. Life in the military has never been so complicated.


Commander Jodenny Scott would agree. She’s seven months pregnant and trying to come to peace with her husband’s death. When Myell reappears with tales of time travel, she’s not sure what to believe.

But with an invading army bearing down on Earth’s last fleet of spaceships, there’s not much time for debate. When the dust clears Jodenny is stranded in an Australia she never imagined, and Myell’s more desperate than ever to rescue her—from aliens, from treachery, and from history itself.

World's End by Chadbourn review at SFFWorld

Some writers take longer to get to the US than others, even when their books are critically acclaimed and sell well. The latest author who fits this mold is Mark Chadbourn, whose Age of Misrule trilogy was unleashed to US readers over a three month period by the fine folks at Pyr. With a beautifully designed thematic cover scheme for all three books, they can now sit on your shelves like they are sitting in my house.

Which leads me to the review I just posted of World’s End:

Mark Chadbourn brings back the gods and myths of Celtic lore in World’s End, the first novel in his Age of Misrule trilogy. The novel takes place primarily in England as strangers are drawn together against the dark returning gods. Jack “Church” Churchill is a tormented man, unable to let go of the grief he holds over his girlfriend’s suicide two years prior to the beginning of the novel. When he’s on a late night walk, he witnesses a strange encounter – one man is being attacked by something that can only be described as a monster. Jack isn’t the only witness; disillusioned lawyer Ruth Gallagher also witnesses the attack, but due to its grisly and shocking nature both pass out.

Chadbourn is doing a lot of things well in this opening volume – he keeps a nice amount of tension and manages to tow a good line in terms of revealing things in slow doses. With Church and Ruth as our protagonists, Chadbourn allows the reader to discover and awe at the great transformation in which the world is undergoing. In one sense, Chadbourn is playing with archetypical characters – Church as the hero, Ruth as the witchy-woman, Veitch as rouge, Tom as the advisor who ‘reveals-the-world-of-magic-slowly’.

Over the next two weeks, I'll be posting reviews of the second (Darkest Hour) and third book (Always Forever) in the series.

Cover artist and designer John Picacio created some of his best artwork for these books, (check out this awesome collaborative overview on Tor.com by Picacio, Lou Anders of Pyr and Mark Chadbourn) I just love the image of Cernunnos on the cover of book one.

Books in the Mail (W/W 08/01/2009)

It’s Sunday, so you all know what happens. I tell you what books arrived this week. Only one of which is from a pair writers I've never read. Here goes:

The Winds of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Tor (Hardcover 08/04/2009) – This is the Dune novel that supposedly picks up immediately after one of Frank Herbert’s original Dune novels, Dune Messiah:

Paul has walked off into the sand, blind, and is presumed dead. Jessica and Gurney are on Caladan; Alia is trying to hold the Imperial government together with Duncan; Mohiam dead at the hands of Stilgar; Irulan imprisoned. Paul’s former friend, Bronso of Ix, now seems to be leading opposition to the House of Atreides. Herbert and Anderson’s newest book in this landmark series will concentrate on these characters as well the growing battle between Jessica, and her daughter, Alia..

Stalking the Dragon (A John Justin Mallory Mystery) by Mike Resnick (Pyr Trade Paperback August 2009) – I read and enjoyed the first Mallory novel, Stalking the Unicorn but the second one (Stalking the Vampire) not quite as much. Here’s hoping I’ll enjoy the third one as much as the first:

It’s Valentine's Day and private detective John Justin Mallory is planning on closing up the office early and taking his partner, Col. Winnifred Carruthers, out to dinner, since he's sure no one else will do so. But before he can turn off the lights and lock the door, a panic-stricken Buffalo Bill Brody visits them. It seems that the Eastminster pet show is being held the next day, and his dragon, Fluffy, the heavy favorite, has been kidnapped.

Mallory's nocturnal hunt for the miniature dragon takes him to some of the stranger sections of this Manhattan—Greenwitch Village (which is right around the corner from Greenwich Village and is populated by witches and covens); a wax museum where figures of Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre come alive; Gracie Mansion (which is haunted by the ghosts of former mayors); and the Bureau of Missing Creatures, a movie set where they're filming a PBS documentary on zombies and various other denizens of the Manhattan night. As Mallory follows the leads and hunts for clues, he comes up against one dead end after another.

Along the way he meets a few old friends and enemies, and a host of strange new inhabitants of this otherworldly Manhattan. Aided by a strange goblin named Jeeves, Mallory has only one night to find a tiny dragon that's hidden somewhere in a city of seven million.

Chasing the Dragon (Quantum Gravity Book Four) by Justina Robson (Pyr Trade Paperback August 2009) – As I’ve said before I read the first one (Keeping it Real), while Hobbit/Mark read first and second (Selling Out) and he seems to enjoy them more than I do.

Ever since the Quantum Bomb of 2015 things have been different; the dimensions have fused and suddenly our world is accessible to elves, demons, ghosts, and elementals—and their worlds are open to us. Things have been different for Special Agent Lila Black too: she’s been tortured and magic-scarred by elves; rebuilt by humans into a half-robot, part-AI, nuclear-fueled walking arsenal; married to a demon; and is in love with a recently-deceased elf. It was confusing enough before she was catapulted fifty years into her own future.

Returning to the life of a secret agent, Lila finds herself left all of her former boss’s old offices and whatever mysteries they contain, as the elf has disappeared some fifty years previously. Appointed head of the new android division, she can see all too clearly what’s in store for her if the growth of the alien technologies in her cyborg body continue unchecked.

But there are more immediate concerns. Like resurrecting her lover, Zal. And her husband, the demon Teazle, is embroiled in a fatal plot in Demonia, and her magic sword is making itself happy as a pen whose writing has the power to affect other worlds. The world is off its rocker and most everyone is terrified of faeries.

And all the while, she hears the voices of the machine—material projections of an immaterial form, The Signal. The Signal talks constantly—if only she knew what it meant.

Sasha (A Trial of Blood and Steel #1) by Joel Shepherd (Subterranean Press Trade Paperback 10/27/2009) – I read and enjoyed Shepherd’s Cassandra Kresnov trilogy (Crossover, Breakaway, and Killswitch) so his take on fantasy could be intriguing:

Spurning her royal heritage to be raised by the great warrior, Kessligh, her exquisite swordplay astonishes all who witness it. But Sasha is still young, untested in battle and often led by her rash temper. In the complex world of Lenayin loyalties, her defiant wilfulness is attracting the wrong kind of attention.

Lenayin is a land almost divided by its two faiths: the Verenthane of the ruling classes and the pagan Goeren-yai, amongst whom Sasha now lives. The Goeren-yai worship swordplay and honour and begin to see Sasha as the great spirit—the Synnich—who will unite them. But Sasha is still searching for what she believes and must choose her side carefully.

When the Udalyn people—the symbol of Goeren-yai pride and courage—are attacked, Sasha will face her moment of testing. How will she act? Is she ready to lead? Can she be the saviour they need her to be?.

Jordan/Sanderson's The Gathering Storm - First Review

As I’ve said before, with the Wheel of Time series finally coming to a conclusion in the not too distant future, I’ve been growing nostalgic to re-read some of the series and catch up with those volumes I’ve not yet read (Knife of Dreams and New Spring)

Dragonmount, one of the (perhaps THE) premier place on the intarwebs for all things Wheel of Time, posted a very early review of The Gathering Storm, which is of course the 13th volume co-authored/co-written by Brandon Sanderson. As a fan of Sanderson’s writing I think he’s as good a choice as any especially considering how much of a fan he is of the books.


Anyway, the reviewer, Jason Denzel, has some upbeat and encouraging things to say about the book. The review is lengthy and contains spoilers, but here's a good point:

The most obvious fact in all of this is that Brandon put his heart into this book. Even though it’s a thick tome, none of it feels padded or rushed. Before he was the writer tasked with finishing this series, he was a fan like you and me. He clearly knows what fans like and dislike, and has crafted a novel that primarily follows in the footsteps of its predecessor while also delivering in a way that he knows will go over well with the crowds.

Eventually, I'll start my re-read and maybe either post some of it here or as Official SFFWorld reviews.

METAtropolis edited by John Scalzi and Reviewed by Me

Not all short fiction is initially published in written form, especially with iPods audio-format fiction has been on the rise relatively speaking. Well, my latest review doesn’t specifically cover an audio anthology per se, but rather the print version of a popular Web/Audio anthology METAtropolis thanks to Subterranean Press. The five stories are in this anthology are penned by Jay Lake, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias Buckell, John Scalzi, and Karl Schroeder

Here’s the usual blurb from the review I posted last night:

Cities have long been characters in their own right in fiction, especially Science Fiction and Fantasy. One needs look no further than the seminal SF film Blade Runner to see the epitome of a sprawling future city. Cities in fiction often have their own quirks and personalities as much, and sometimes more, than the human characters who inhabit them. Modern writers like China Mieville and Jeff VanderMeer, and less recent writers like Fritz Leiber and M. John Harrison have made cities distinct and stand out settings of fantastic fiction. Here, editor John Scalzi gathers five well-regarded genre writers to peer into the telescope of the future and see what super-cities of the future might be like. Although this anthology began life as an audio book, Subterranean is publishing a limited and trade print edition of the anthology.

Matthew Stover to Write GOD OF WAR novel

Matthew Stover will be writing a novelization of God of War, what I and many other people consider, one of the greatest video games of all time. I can't think of a writer better suited to this task. With all he's done in Star Wars and the mythic parallels to his superb Acts of Caine sequence, this should be a terrific novel when it hits bookshelves in March 2010.

Books in the Mail (W/E 07/25/2009)

Nothing to see here folks. Surprisingly, no new books arrived this week. No complaints, though since I've got a nice backlog to keep me busy.

RGP Goodness - D&D, Talisman, & Pathfinder

Are any of my faithful readers into RPGs? I grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons first edition. If I recall correctly, in addition to the red player’s manual, there was a blue Game Masters book and other assorted goodies and it all came in a boxed set. That was when it was published by TSR (Tactical Rules Studies). We then moved onto Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, when the books were large 8.5 x 11 hardcover books:

At the time, my friends and I also played Gamma World, and I split time with one of my friends as GM for that.

For whatever reason, a friend moving, things going on in our lives, we moved away from D&D and RPGs to Talisman, which I've breifly discussed in the past - it captured the fun fantasy aspect of RPGs and the game could be started and completed in one day. Recently, I received an updated version of Talisman much to the chagrin of Mrs. O’ Stuff, and have started playing again.

I’ve also been playing D&D again, this time a mish-mash of 3rd Edition versions of Planescape, Dark Sun and magic systems based in some of the fantasy novels we’ve been reading. The “We” being my brother-in-law and a few of his friends.

At BEA, and through some posts by Matt Staggs, I’ve become aware of a new, impressive catch-all RPG that looks great: Pathfinder. The core book seems to contains all you need to get going on your adventures. Considering the book is 576 pages, it should contain a lot of stuff. The folks I met at the Paizo at BEA were terrific and the sample galley they had of the Pathfinder Core Rule book looked really impressive.

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

Over the past few years, few young new writers have had as much of a groundswell of positive support as Joe Abercrombie. To say the least, his latest fantasy novel, novel Best Served Cold is/was one of the most anticipated 2009 novels in the genre. Mark/Hobbit reviewed the UK edition in June:

In typical Joe fashion, the heroine is not a typical hero-figure. More Ash than Scarlett O‘Hara, at first Monzcarro/Monza Murcatto comes across as an arrogant bitch, someone you wouldn’t trust, nor would you cross. She is, in fact, The Snake of Talins and The Butcher of Caprile, who along with her brother Benna, are the two most successful mercenary generals in Styria. Their actions, admittedly well paid, have established Duke Orzo as a man of influence and power, but also an intensely jealous one. Realising their increasing fame, in a jealous fit and without warning, he kills Benna and critically injures Monza, throwing her body down a mountainside.

For my part, I loved Joe’s First Law trilogy (The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged , Last Argument of Kings) and I thought the final book concluded extremely well. Although I enjoyed Best Served Cold, I had some minor pacing issues with it. Anyway, here’s the usual preview of my review:

Very early, as in the first chapter, Monza and Benna are ousted from their place in the employ of Duke Orzo in a rather violent fashion, to say the least. Benna is killed and Monza pushed to the edge of death, saved only because she landed on Benna’s body rather than the hard ground. It seems the mighty Duke is a jealous man and fears that Monza will try to usurp his place of power.

The plot is effective in its simple linear thread of revenge, but what Abercrombie does from beginning to end helps to make the novel, characters and story stand out more than just the story of an angry bitch seeking retribution.

Along the way, Monza recruits the typical motley crew of people to assist her – Caul Shivers, the Barbarian from the North looking to change his violent ways; the poisoner Morveer whose outward sense of civility offsets his aims of killing; the somewhat crazed Friendly; and a perhaps familiar swordsman Nicomo Cosca who does more dueling with wine bottles than with swords.

Boromir IS Ned Stark - Sean Bean to ascend 'Thrones'

This cast, the production, and anticipation for HBO's adaptation of A Game of Thrones just gets better and better.

Sean Bean to ascend 'Thrones'



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Books in the Mail (W/E 07/18/2009)

I get a lot of books for review from various publishers. I, unfortunately, can’t read everything I get so I like to at least acknowledge what comes into the house for review so I do these Sunday postings of Books in the Mail. Here’s this week’s version:

Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven #3) by James Barclay (Pyr Trade Paperback 11/22/2009) – Third installment of The Chronicles of the Raven and again, set to release one month after the second book, which is set to release one month after the first. Nothing works better than shelf presence except maybe solid and entertaining writing/storytelling, which James Barclay has in spades:

The concluding volume of the Chronicles is an excellent capstone to a superb series of books. The Raven, again are faced with a world-shattering challenge. What makes this challenge even worse is that it is from their own ranks. The Nightchild refers to the daughter of Erienne and Denser, Lyanna. Lyanna is the prophesized uniting child of Magic, bringing the One magic back to Balaia, uniting the four colleges.

Five years have past since the events of Noonshade e and the Raven have gone their separate ways, finally following through on the promise to retire the made in the beginning of Dawnthief. It is one event in Dawnthief that sets everything in motion for Nightchild, the consummation of Denser and Erienne’s relationship.
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The Martian Chronicles: The Complete Edition by Ray Bradbury (Subterranean Press/PS Publishing [1] Limited and [2] Lettered Hardcover December 2009) – The Martian Chronicles is one of those hallmarks and IT books of Science Fiction I’ve (embarrassingly) never read. Luckily, Subterranean Press/PS Publishing decided to get together and co-publish a lavish, dense, and beautiful (based on the ARC) edition of these seminal stories in one massive volume inside a terrific cover by Edward Miller, sporting introductions by John Scalzi, Joe Hill, Richard Matheson and Mark Scott Zicree.

In the course of his long, illustrious career, Ray Bradbury has created some of the most memorable and enduring fiction of our time. While no one work can adequately represent the range and depth of his achievement, it may well be that The Martian Chronicles will come to stand as his most singular accomplishment. A visionary account of the first attempt to extend the human enterprise to another planet, this unique and resonant book is both a seminal work of science fiction and a permanent addition to modern popular culture.

The episodic saga begins during the “rocket summer” of 1999, when the first outbound ships depart for Mars, leaving the bleak Ohio winter behind. It ends, 27 years later, during a “million year picnic” which casts a harsh, reflective light on an entire civilization. Along the way, Bradbury introduces a gallery of distinctive characters, all of whom have powerful reasons for seeking a newer life. Some are actively escaping--from racism, from political and cultural repression, from the never-ending prospect of war. Some are actively searching--for adventure, for uncharted horizons, for a sense of spiritual renewal. Together, they create a frontier society as complex, varied, and tragically flawed as the one they left behind.

The result is a work of philosophical humanism filled with memorable scenes and indelible images. A wealthy settler builds a new “House of Usher” and wages bloody war against a dull and lifeless bureaucracy. Translucent “fire balloons” offer intricate lessons in matters of the spirit. A telepathic Martian helplessly absorbs the hopes, grief, and memories of the surrounding human populace. A solitary survivor creates an automated family to help keep loneliness at bay. Moments like these offer something deeper and grander than simple entertainment. As the author pointedly reminds us: “It is good to renew one’s wonder.” The Martian Chronicles accomplishes this task with wit, grace, and unselfconscious artistry. It will doubtless continue to do so for generations to come.

With more than 50 stories, essays, introductions and two full-length screenplays by Bradbury himself, The Martian Chronicles: the Definitive Edition is a volume for the permanent shelf, one which chronicles the evolution of Bradbury’s Mars from the original classic volume and beyond.

Alpha and Omega (Alpha and Omega/Mercedes Thompson) by Patricia Briggs (Subterranean Press Limited (1000 copies) Edition Hardcover Fall 2009) – Brigg’s thoughts on this novella, which was originally in the On the Prowl anthology and takes place in the same world as her Mercedes Thompson novels:

"Alpha and Omega" is Charles's story. Charles is one of those characters who comes on stage to fill out a scene -- or, in this case, to make the Montana pack feel like a "real" pack, one that doesn't just exist for the sake of a novel. But as I wrote a little about him I found out a lot more -- and since he didn't have a real role in the plot, I had to set him aside once he'd performed his alloted role. It would have bothered me more, but I knew that Moon Called was the first in a series so I figured I could use him later. When my editor called to ask me if I thought I could write a novella in Mercy's world -- I thought about it for a while, and decided to give Charles his chance upon the stage. I already had a plot -- he'd been sent to deal with one of the Chicago alphas in Moon Called. Even so, the story took me a little by surprise (which is a good thing). I didn't expect such a strong romance angle in this story, but I liked how it turned out. I hope you enjoy getting to know Charles as much as I did.

Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert (Tor (Hardcover 08/04/2009) – This would be the sixth and final Dune novel by Frank Herbert. Although I’ve read the first one a couple of times, I always wanted to go back and read the remaining book by Herbert. I’ve got some fill in to do before I get to this one, though. This edition is updated in that it contains an introduction by Brian Herbert, Frank’s son. Brian, for good or bad, has gone on to continue the Dune series with Kevin J. Anderson for 11 additional books (which is almost double what Frank wrote himself). Be that as it may, here’s what can be gleaned about Frank’s last book:

The desert planet Arrakis, called Dune, has been destroyed. Now, the Bene Gesserit, heirs to Dune’s power, have colonized a green world—and are tuning it into a desert, mile by scorched mile.

Chapterhouse Dune is the last book Frank Herbert wrote before his death: A stunning climax to the epic Dune legend that will live on forever.


The Grave Thief (Book #3 of The Twilight Reign) by Tom Lloyd (Pyr Trade Paperback September 2009) – These books have found an audience here in the US, I’m just not part of it.

Scree has been wiped from the face of the Land in a brutal demonstration of intent. While those responsible scatter to work on the next step in their plan, the stakes are raised - all the way to the heavens - as the Gods themselves enter the fray. Returning home to a nation divided by fanaticism, Lord Isak is haunted both by the consequences of his actions in Scree and by visions of his own impending death. As the full extent of Azaer's schemes become clearer, he realises prophecy and zealotry must play their part in his battle-plans if there is to be any chance of surviving the coming years. As a white-eye, Isak has had to embrace the darker parts of his own soul, but now the savage religious fervour sweeping his nation must also be accepted and turned to purpose, in the name of survival. With the battle lines vague and allegiances uncertain, the time for heartless decisions and ruthless action has come. Two figures oppose Isak and his allies: the greatest warrior in history, who dreams of empire and Godhood, and a newborn baby whose dreams have no limit.

Desolation Road by Ian McDonald (Pyr Trade Paperback July 2009) – Pyr continues to bring Ian McDonald’s work to US audiences in this re-issue of his 1998 debut novel, which seems a mix of steampunk and future SF. I loved River of Gods and have read some of his shorts.

On a partially terraformed Mars (comfortable temperature and atmosphere, although still mostly desert) a lone scientist is hunting a mysterious being across the desert, using a device best described as an anti-gravity sailboard for transportation. While taking a rest, he neglects to secure the board thoroughly and wakes up in time to see it blown away by the wind. Stranded in the desert, he is fortunate to discover an artificial oasis (created by a long-lost terraforming AI) near a line of railway. With all the necessities of life around him, he awaits rescue or company. Eventually, he is joined by other strays and castaways, and together they found the town of Desolation Road.

Although not a steampunk novel, much of the technology featured in the book, such as locomotives (albeit Fusion) and propellor-driven aircraft, appears to hearken back to Earth's near-history rather than to standard visions of the future. This gives the novel an atmosphere of anachronism and timelessness.

The Sheriff of Yrnameer: A Novel by Michael Rubens (Pantheon Hardcover 8/4/2009) – It isn’t very often you see a Stephen Colbert blurb on a book not by Stephen Colbert. That combined with the Douglas Adams-ish feel, push this book up a little bit for me. I received the ARC for this back in April and the finished/final book arrived this week in all its green and yellow glory. Rubens is a writer on The Daily Show staff.

Meet Cole: hapless space rogue, part-time smuggler, on a path to being full-time dead. His sidekick just stole his girlfriend. The galaxy's most hideous and feared bounty hunter wants to lay eggs in his brain. And the luxury space yacht Cole just hijacked turns out of be filled with interstellar do-gooders, one especially loathsome stowaway, and a cargo of freeze-dried orphans.

Reluctantly compelled to deliver these defenseless, fluidless children to safety, Cole gathers a misfit crew for a desperate journey to the far reaches of the galaxy. Their destination: the mysterious world of Yrnameer, the very last of the your-name-heres—planets without corporate sponsors. But little does Cole know that this legendary utopia is home to a murderous band of outlaws bent on destroying the planet's tiny, peaceful community.

Follow Cole's adventures through a delightfully absurd science-fiction universe, where the artificial intelligence is stupid, dust motes carry branding messages, and middle-management zombies have overrun a corporate training satellite. In the spirit of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, The Sheriff of Yrnameer is sci-fi comedy at its best—mordant, raucously funny, and a thrilling page-turner.

Dragons and Dwarves:Novels of the Cleveland Portal by S. Andrew Swann (DAW Mass Market Paperback 08/04/2009) – As I was saying about two weeks ago regarding DAW in specific and Swann in particular, here’s one of those terrific backlist-author-omnibus editions containing two Urban/Epic Fantasy hybrids - The Dragons of the Cuyahoga and The Dwarves of Whiskey Island:

The Dragons of the Cuyahoga – A decade after the Portal opened a gate between Cleveland, Ohio and a universe of mages, elves, and dragons, reporter Kline Maxwell works the political beat for the Cleveland Pressand does his best to avoid “fuzzy gnome” stories.

However, when fifteen tons of dragon takes a nose-dive into the Cuyahoga River, killing the supposedly immortal creature, Kline finds himself drawn into the story against his will. Soon, he discovers that the dragon was not just any dragon, and the death was no accident.

Soon he is running from cops, elves and gargoyles— and finds himself wrapped in a web of intrigue that ranges from a network of underground mages, the mayor’s office, the port authority, the possibly-corrupt police Special Paranormal Unit, all the way to the federal government.

The Dwarves of Whiskey Island – Two years after investigating the high-profile death of a dragon for the Cleveland Press, reporter Kline Maxwell is safely back on the political beat. Then he receives a call from a dwarf claiming to have information on the suicide of a former city council president, a dwarf who quickly suffers a gruesome death. Soon Kline is again wrapped in a mystical conspiracy of wide-ranging implications.

And at the center of the conspiracy is an ancient evil that has taken an interest in Kline and his family. . .

Julian Comstock by Robert Charles Wilson

Robert Charles Wilson has written some of the best received science fiction over the past decade or so. His spectacular novel Spin won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2006. I also enjoyed Darwinia, which was nominated for the Hugo and Locus Award in 1999. His latest novel, Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America is at least as good as Spin, and quite possibly better. It hasn’t sunk in quite enough for me to determine that yet.

With that having been said, here’s the part of my review, which I posted yesterday:

The tone is very comfortable and Wilson’s prose is just wonderful to read and digest. The comfortable to which I’m referring is the tone is inasmuch as we the reader, through Adam’s positioning of words, know who Julian Comstock really is. Essentially, the feel of the novel is that we are taking a peek behind the curtain at how the real events transpired around a legendary and historical figure.

While not quite a post-apocalyptic tale, the novel is definitely the story of a nation (and one suspects of a world) struggling to rise through the mire of sin and decadence from its societal predecessor. The world isn’t a typically blasted landscape seen in post-apocalyptic fiction, rather Wilson has envisioned a regressed future. In many ways, this is an elegiac and depressing novel, but the pathos we hear through Adams voice lends an understated elegance and hope to the tale.

It isn’t through info dumps or anything obtrusive that the reader learns about the world at large, technology like cars and travel to the moon are viewed as nearly magical things of the past or fallacies of fantasy outright banished from collective thought. Wilson also manages to conjure the reality of the future world and layer the details very well through the characters thoughts, actions, and words.